-Counter Currents The Aadhaar scheme of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) is to provide India's billion-plus people with a unique identification number. Enrolling into the scheme was and still is not mandatory, though it was mentioned that it would be difficult for people to access public services in the absence of enrolment. The scheme requires individuals to provide their photograph, fingerprints and iris scan together with documentary personal information,...

-The Hindu Hyderabad: Completion of Aadhaar enrolment, opening of bank accounts for all beneficiaries of welfare schemes and seeding of unique identity numbers with the bank accounts in the State is likely to take over six months, notwithstanding the government plans to wind up the work over the next two months. Official sources told The Hindu that it would take nothing less than four months to complete the exercise in all respects...

-The Times of India When the PMO was finalizing the direct benefit transfer (DBT) scheme in October using Aadhaar as the basic platform, at least three other agencies suggested they could implement the new plan equally well. The home ministry's NPR plan prompted the government to divide the work of issuing ID cards in two segments, shrugging off the department of financial services' suggestion that banks and debit cards could be used...

-The Telegraph Jaipur: In this e-age, the pen can still be a potent weapon. The good old writing instrument, mightier than a sword in the hands of the right user, found a band of little champions who recently used it to telling effect. They got education authorities in Rajasthan to appoint a teacher for their school. They didn’t write emails, though laptops are being given to meritorious students to become e-savvy. They just...

-Deccan Chronicle Anantapur: Lack of skilled manpower and approved operators with tool kits and computer systems has badly hit the Aadhaar enrolment drive in the district. Though the administration had around 350 kits pertaining to the enrolment process, the district administration was unable to set up new centres to complete the process in the scheduled period. Long queues were witnessed ever since the enrolment drive started at 22 centres in the district. Generally,...